Artist Of The Month

View Image Gallery

Parma is home to a great many talented individuals, artists and craftsmen, both professional and amateur, who specialize in variety of mediums. This article is the ninth in a series which will showcase a Parma area artist and introduce you to many of your talented neighbors.

Renate Nacinovic

Renate and her husband, Ivan, have lived in Parma since 1976. She was born and raised in the picturesque mountain region of Southern Bavaria in Germany. As a child she loved drawing and painting flowers, landscapes, pastoral scenes and the mountains of her homeland. She came to the states in 1961. 

She graduated from Cleveland State University with a major in Art and Psychology. Cleveland State is where she discovered her love of pottery. She designs and creates ceramic pottery in many sizes and shapes. Some pieces are hand-built and others are created on a pottery wheel. Once the piece is made, it is covered with a white glaze and fired in a kiln. Renate then does a pencil drawing of a design over the white glaze. Colored glazes are painted onto the piece and it is fired again. A clear glaze follows with an additional firing in the kiln. Her pieces are bold, unique, exciting, and vibrant in color and often include flowers, birds, and animals in her original designs. 

In addition to the beautiful decorative bowls and platters she also creates tiles, with scenes of flower gardens, landscapes, seascapes, and caricatures of people. Sometimes she uses the tiles to create small tables, trays or wall hangings. After attending the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she studied Scull and Facial Reconstruction in Forensics, she was inspired to create her “little character people”. These fun table top sculptures are whimsical caricatures of people with various facial expressions. She also does masks. 

In the past she worked as a floral designer, and spent 35 years as a realtor.

Renate and Ivan, spend lots of volunteer hours at German Central, where Renate serves as the Dinner/Dance Coordinator. German Central is located on York Road, in Parma, and is a meeting place for many ethnic groups. It is open to the public and maintained solely by a group of dedicated volunteers. It offers fish fries during Lent, the Oktoberfest in September, and other events throughout the year. Renate and Ivan recently received recognition for their volunteer services. 

Renate is currently displaying a small selection of her work in the lobby of the Donna Smallwood Activities Center. Her beautiful pottery has been shown at several locations throughout the area, and she normally does about three or four shows annually. She also welcomes custom pottery orders and operates out of her home. If you are interested in a custom piece she can be reached at (440)888-6018.  

If you are an amateur or professional artist, living in the Parma area, or know of someone who is, and would like to be featured as an artist of the month, please contact me by email at kathrynmabin@att.net.